Sometime an argument has more than one conclusion. The following is an
example:

Because Ming Li went to PekingUniversity, he is smart. Therefore, he is
likely to get a high score in GMAT.

The first thing you would notice is that there are two indicators in the
above argument – because and therefore. The former leads to a premise and the
latter, a conclusion. Secondly, the first sentence is an argument by itself
since it contains both a premise (Because Ming Li went to Peking University) and
a conclusion (he is smart). Thirdly, the conclusion (he is smart) of the first
argument is used to support the second sentence, which is the main conclusion.
To put it another way, the clause “he is smart” is both a conclusion (in the 1st
sentence) and a premise (in the overall argument.)

In CR tests, a dual-role clause like this is called an “intermediate” or
“subsidiary” conclusion. It is not the main point of the overall argument, but
it is still a conclusion.

Keep in mind that you have to find the main conclusion of an argument in CR
test. Do not be fooled by an intermediate conclusion along the way. Use the
“because” test if in doubt.

Background Information

Some CR questions are not pure arguments. They might also include
background information, which, by definition, helps you understand the flow of
the argument, but does not contain a premise or a conclusion.

For example, an opinion of a critic or a committee is common in background
information:

Editor: Many graduates from Peking University believe they can easily land
a white-collar job after graduation. But they are wrong. A survey between 2000
and 2010 shows that more than 10% of Peking University Graduates during the last
decade have no job offers within 6 months of their graduation.

The first sentence is neither a premise nor a conclusion. It is the opinion
of “many graduates from Peking University.” The editor gives us this opinion to
help us understand what he is trying to establish in his own conclusion (in the
2nd sentence) – that these graduates are wrong. In other words, he is arguing
that a graduate from Peking University is NOT getting a job offer easily. The
editor then buttresses his conclusion by citing a survey as the premise for his
main conclusion.

A common pattern for such an argument is:

1) Opinion of someone else

2) The author’s conclusion (usually introduced with words such as but or
however to highlight the contrast)

3) Premise(s) to support the author’s conclusion

As to examples of such opinions:

Many scholars believe that . . .

A few committee members argue that . . .

The defendant claimed that . . .

The classical theory holds that . . .

Hui’s recent research found that. . .

Most CDers voted [the posts by Zeros as their favorites]

All the above phrases telegraph to you that someone or some groups or some
theories have such opinions or predictions. These phrases often end with the
word that, but they do not have to. More often than not, they also start with
some qualifiers, such as some, many, most, or all.

After the 1st sentence stating an opinion, the author is probably going to
follow up with his or her own conclusion. And the author’s conclusion will
usually contradict the opinion stated in the 1st sentence. Accordingly, we can
call the 1st opinion “opposing viewpoint.”

Other phrases which introduce opinions of people other than the author
are:

It is commonly assumed that . . .

It is very documented that . . .

It is widely agreed that . . .

These phrases are kind of hard to pick up since they do not mention any one
person.

Hidden Premises

In certain arguments, one of the premises might be hidden in unusual places
of the argument. Look at the following example:

Ming Li is smarter than Ying Zhang. Therefore, because smarter people earn
more money, Ming earns more money than Ying.

The first sentence is a premise. The second sentence put two signal words
therefore and because together. As a result, the second premise (smarter people
earn more money) is hidden because test takers often treat everything after the
indicator therefore as a conclusion.

Whenever the test makers put a premise in the middle of a sentence, they
offset it with commas. Everything between the two commas is a premise. Examples
are:

Therefore, because premise X, conclusion Y.

Thus, since premise X, conclusion Y.

So, due to premise X, conclusion Y.

Accordingly, given that premise X, conclusion Y.

In all of the above examples, the conclusion introduce by the signal words
comes at the very end of the sentence.

Concessions

To make an argument stronger, a good advocate or debater or writer would
concede a weakness of his or her viewpoints to show that they understand the big
picture and to preempt a counterargument, if any, from their critics. For
example:

Although a very high GPA might not guarantee an offer from a top MBA
program, you should aim to get a GPA as high as possible in college if you want
to enroll in a MBA program. A high GPA in college is something an admission
committee advisor would like to see in the incoming MBA students.

The conclusion (you should aim to get a GPA as high as possible in college)
is supported by the premise (A high GPA in college is something an admission
committee advisor would like to see in the incoming MBA students.) But as you
might have noticed, the first clause (very high GPA might not guarantee an offer
from a top MBA program) actually hurts the argument. It is one reason you should
NOT aim to get a high GPA in college. The author concedes this point to preempt
one objection a critic might raise, such as “a high GPA only indicates
book-smart” or “many candidates with high GPA get rejections from top MBA
programs.” He is saying “I know high GPA is not sufficient, but it might be
necessary. So I still think you should get a high GPA.” This evidence, in his
mind, still outweighs the counter evidence a critic might proclaim.

Concessions are often introduced by although, even though, but, however,
yet and despite.